Nikoel Hytrek is Iowa Starting Line’s longest-serving reporter. She covers LGBTQ issues, abortion rights and all topics of interest to Iowans. Her biggest goal is to help connect the dots between policy and people’s real lives. If you have story ideas or tips, send them over to nikoel@new.iowastartingline.com.
Nikoel Hytrek
Latest from Nikoel Hytrek
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Federal Funds to Bolster Health Care, Child Services in Ottumwa Area
Wapello County was among several in Iowa to receive millions in American Rescue Plan funding. Specifically, the funding went to the River Hills Health Center and the Southern Iowa Economic Development Association (SIEDA), both based in Ottumwa, to help them meet community needs and recover from difficulties and setbacks they faced because of the COVID-19…
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Willie Stevenson Glanton, Iowa’s Woman of Firsts
In Iowa history, trailblazers are aplenty. For an example of both extraordinary Black Iowans and women, one doesn’t have to look very hard to find Willie Stevenson Glanton. Born in Arkansas, Glanton moved to Iowa in 1951 right after her wedding to Luther T. Glanton Jr. who would later become one of Iowa’s first Black…
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Senate GOP Advances Bill to Divert Public Funds to Private Schools
The Iowa Senate Education Committee passed Senate Study Bill 3080 on Thursday, which would provide funds from public schools for students to enroll in private schools. It passed with four Democrats voting against it—Sens. Herman Quirmbach (D-Ames), Claire Celsi (D-Des Moines), Jackie Smith (D-Sioux City), and Sarah Trone Garriott (D-Windsor Heights). The bill would create…
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Senate Bill Would Increase State’s Maternal Support for Providers That Oppose Abortion
Iowa women would have more support during their pregnancies and postpartum period under a new bill approved by an Iowa Senate Human Resources subcommittee Wednesday afternoon, but there is a catch. SSB 3145 would require the department of human services to create a statewide “More Options for Maternal Support” (MOMS) program which would support nonprofits…
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Edna Griffin of Des Moines Took on Discrimination in the 1940s and won
The Edna Griffin Building in downtown Des Moines commemorates the Black woman who took a discrimination case to the Iowa Supreme Court and secured a significant victory under the then-hard-to-enforce 1884 Iowa Civil Rights Act. It all started in July 1948 when Griffin, John Bibbs, and Leonard Hudson stopped at the Katz Drug Store in…
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Waukee School Board Resolves to Oppose Vouchers
Monday night, the Waukee School Board discussed and approved a resolution opposing the Iowa Legislature’s attempt to pass school vouchers. The resolution passed 6-1. Iowa Republicans are proposing the vouchers—now called education savings accounts—that would provide financial assistance from public tax dollars to any family who wants to enroll their child(ren) in private schools. The…
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Trans Iowa Girl Asks Lawmakers To Let Her Keep Playing Sports With Her Friends
Once again, Iowa Republicans are challenging federal laws in an attempt to discriminate against a population of Iowans and deny their identities if they want to play sports. This time, Reps. Skyler Wheeler (Orange City) and Henry Stone (Forest City) are championing House File 2309, which would prevent transgender girls from competing in sports as…
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Trans Athlete Ban Expected to be Fast-Tracked Tomorrow
House Republicans Skyler Wheeler (Orange City) and Henry Stone (Forest City) introduced a bill Wednesday that would bar transgender girls from playing school sports. The bill is expected by several lobbyists to be fast-tracked, which means it will be debated in an education subcommittee at 7:30 a.m. Thursday (Feb. 10) morning and then immediately be…
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‘It’s an Earned Benefit’: Iowa Unions Fight Unemployment Changes
Union workers continued to rally against a bill that would overhaul Iowa’s unemployment system during a Tuesday Iowa Senate subcommittee hearing over the issue. The bill in question, Senate Study Bill 3093, would decrease the duration of unemployment benefits to 16 weeks—down from 26 now—delay the start of benefits by a week, and changes the…
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Parents Share Concerns Over Johnston Board Members Meeting with Right-Wing Group
Last week, two school board members for the Johnston Community School District sparked controversy when they were spotted at a local meeting for Turning Point USA, a far-right student organization founded by Charlie Kirk, which maintains watchlists for college professors and school board members. A photo of elected officials posing with a student holding a…
